Sokolniki Park launched Harbin international festival of snow and ice sculptures

December 25, 2019

On December 24, 2019, Sokolniki Park opened Harbin international festival of snow and ice sculptures to celebrate the 70th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties between China and Russia.

Considering the importance of this event in terms of developing the international friendship, the opening ceremony featured a number of high-profile guests, including the following:

Fan Xianrong, the Minister Plenipotentiary of the Embassy of China to Russia;

Alexey Shaburov, President of Sokolniki Exhibition and Convention Centre, and Director of the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy;

Yang Honglei, a member of the permanent bureau at Harbin city committee of the Communist Party of China, propaganda department supervisor;

Wang Rui, the Second Secretary of the Embassy of China to Moscow;

Go Jingchun, the Deputy Head of the propaganda and campaigning department at Harbin city committee, the head of the city socialist spiritual civilization office;

Andrey Lapshin, Director of Sokolniki Park;

Li Yingnan, a member of the board of the Association for Russian-Chinese Friendship, the Professor of Beijing Foreign Studies University

Cui Yuping, the Deputy Director of Harbin Foreign Affairs Office;

Wang Ning, the head of the foreign affairs office in Harbin;

Fu Wenmao, the head of the foreign propaganda and campaigning department of Harbin city committee;

U Hao, the chief editor of China Newsweek magazine;

Qin Xiaoyan, Director of the marketing promotion department of Harbin bureau of culture, radio, TV, and tourism;

Wang Shiping, an expert of the foreign propaganda and campaigning department of Harbin city committee;

Ji Yujia, the head of Eurasian department at Harbin foreign affairs office;

Jiang Xuesong, a reporter of Harbin Daily newspaper group of the Party and the Government news centre;

A reporter of Harbin Daily newspaper group at Zaker visual technology studio editor office in Harbin;

Fu Chao, the executive producer of Harbin TV and radio.

The guests were shown fascinating ice artworks, ice panels and sculptures heaved in coloured backlight, made by the crafters from Harbin – the capital of Heilongjiang (China), which has been holding the most beautiful winter festival on the planet since 1963.

As part of the opening ceremony, which took place in the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy, the guests from China gave a presentation of Harbin and its touristic opportunities. In his turn, President of Sokolniki Exhibition and Convention Centre and Director of the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy, Alexey Shaburov, gave an overview of major cultural projects held at the above venues in 2019, which aimed to strengthen friendship and cultural cooperation between Russia and China.

It stands to mention that Sokolniki Park has launched a winter festival named “World Countries” in 2019, which will focus on China this winter. The Celestial Empire has been picked for a reason: friendship and partnership relations have been in place between Russia and China for more than 400 years, while this year also celebrates a landmark date – the 70th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties between the countries.

Fan Xianrong, the Minister Plenipotentiary of the Embassy of China to Russia

Alexey Shaburov, President of Sokolniki Exhibition and Convention Centre, and Director of the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy

Yang Honglei, a member of the permanent bureau at Harbin city committee of the Communist Party of China, propaganda department supervisor

Galina Kulikova, the Deputy Chairman of the Association for Russian-Chinese Friendship, the owner of the Chinese Order of Friendship awarded to her by the President of China Xi Jinping. Kulikova is the second ever native of Russia who earned this prestigious award after the President of Russia Vladimir Putin.